CLAREMONT, IN - A top 20 finish has a way of making a struggling race team and driver feel a little better and Saturday night's 17th place run at O'Reilly Raceway Park did just that.
Struggling mightily coming into the short track race, driver Morgan Shepherd and his team were facing their toughest tasks yet. If the team missed the starting grid at Indy, could it go on another week without a paycheck?
"There was no other option but to make the race," Shepherd said. "There was no way to get to Iowa if we missed Indy. We just buckled down and did everything we could to make sure we were in the field."
Being that the team was racing at one of Shepherd's favorite tracks where he has recorded a record three wins didn't hurt either.
"I really like that little track and the racing there," he said. "We ran pretty good in practice and our qualifying was OK so we were happy to be able to start and run pretty well overall."
Shepherd slowly picked his way forward during the race as he stayed on the lead lap until near the end of the contest.
"We liked the long runs. After 20 or so laps our car started coming in better where a lot of the others were going away," he said.
But Saturday's performance on the short track was just a prelude of the great weekend the team enjoyed. Before heading for home on Sunday afternoon, Shepherd was one of the speakers at a Raceway Ministries function at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
"Several people came forward during the tent service which was very rewarding," he said. "God uses us in many ways if we let him lead. I was really glad to be a part of what happened there on Sunday morning."
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